LEO's Eats with Robin Garr
The eggplant parmesan and pasta at Bistro 42
My friend Bob has a vowel on the end of his name, and he proudly hails from New Jersey, so when he told me to check out Bistro 42 in Prospect for its great Italian* food, I figure he knows what he's talking about.
Um, what's with that asterisk on "Italian*"?
To put it gently, Italian family cookery in the U.S. three or four generations removed from Ellis Island is not much like real Italian food from Italy, or even the more upscale fare served at fancy "Northern Italian" spots.
Like all the other ethnic streams that comprise the beautiful mix of cultures that make us American, Italian immigrants brought steamer trunks full of heart-warming music and art, song and dance, culture and food - especially food - that have become part of us all.
Truly, what could be more American than spaghetti and meatballs and pizza pie? And lasagna, and lots of other good stuff, too. Sausage! Italian sausage, that is, juicy links redolent of ground meats and aromatic fennel and spice?
In fact, Bob said, "Be sure to get the sausage. They make their own, and it is amazing." He was right, too. On a sandwich or in marinara sauce, it's meaty, textured, fennel-scented, juicy and delicious.
If you don't get to the Prospect area much, this little shopping-center space might not be on your radar, even though it's been around since the summer of 2009. It's so far to the back of a large shopping center that's dominated by a Kroger and a bunch of other eateries, you're not likely to spot its discreet sign from US 42, the highway that gives the bistro its name.
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/?p=5326
See this column also in LEO Weekly:
http://www.leoweekly.com/2015/07/mangia ... -prospect/
Bistro 42
6021 Timber Ridge Drive
632-2552
https://facebook.com/bistro42ky
Robin Garr's rating: 82 points